Whenever someone asks me, “Pancakes or waffles?” my response is, “French toast.” Though all breakfast foods are delectable in my eyes, French toast reigns supreme. It combines what’s great about pancakes and waffles into a single dish. When cooked properly, the interior gets super fluffy like a fat stack of good ol’flapjacks, while the exterior remains crispy like the ridges of a waffle. If I haven’t convinced you that French toast ought to be your go-to Sunday brunch order, this list sure will. Here are the 15 best places to get French toast in Chicago.
1. Breakfast Club & Grill: Nutella Banana French Toast
Location: 1381 W. Hubbard St., Chicago.
To kick off the list of the best French toast in Chicago, we’ve got the Breakfast Club & Grill, a Chicago treasure. This restaurant has been serving up “the #1 French toast” in the city for over 30 years. The classic French toast is comprised of challah bread (the best type of bread to use for French toast) and dusted generously with powdered sugar, but if you want to go all out, order the Nutella banana French toast. It’s gluttonous enough for even those with a perpetual sweet tooth. As an added bonus, Breakfast Club & Grill serves breakfast all-day, so swing by anytime between 6:30 am-3:30 pm (4:00 pm on the weekends) for your fill of French toast.
2. Eleven City Cafe: 11 City French Toast
Location: 1112 S Wabash Ave., Chicago.
With its signature French toast named after the restaurant itself, you already know that Eleven City’s French toast is the star of this deli-inspired eatery. The freshly-baked challah topped with strawberries and bananas appears deceivingly simple, but the addition of toasted coconut gives the dish a satisfying crunch and tropical twist.
3. Cupitol: Sticky Bun French Toast with Salted Caramel and Pecans
2 locations: 812 Grove St, Evanston and 455 E. Illinois St, Chicago.
I love exploring the city, but when it hits below zero, sometimes I can’t be bothered to make the trek. However, there are still good French toast options, even in Evanston, IL. Cupitol is one of those places. This all-day lounge is known for its brunch menu, with the hidden gem being the French toast with salted caramel and pecans. It tastes like a sticky bun, but even richer since it’s served with a side of freshly-churned butter and maple syrup.
4. Toast: French Toast Orgy
2 locations: 2046 N. Damen Ave, Chicago and 746 W. Webster Ave, Chicago.
With a name like “French Toast Orgy,” you’re in for a major food-gasm when you order this dish at Toast—which, unsurprisingly, is known for all things bready and carby. You choose between a strawberry, mascarpone, or dark chocolate stuffing for your French toast, and have it served with vanilla yogurt, house-made granola, fruit, and honey. What more could you ask for in a brunch?
5. Nookies: Berry Brioche French Toast
4 locations throughout the Chicagoland area.
I couldn’t write a best French toast in Chicago article without including Nookies, which opened its Old Town doors in 1973 and has since expanded into three more locations. Over the decades, Nookies has consistently produced quality comfort food and perfected its brioche French toast: thick slices of fluffy bread stuffed with vanilla bean cream and topped with assorted berries. As if Nookies couldn’t get better, the joint is BYOB, so go ham with your boozy drink concoctions.
6. Flo: Fruity Pebbles French Toast
Location: 1434 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago.
Since moving into my off-campus apartment, I like to pretend that I am a full-fledged adult, but in my most telling moments, I’ll prove otherwise and load my grocery cart with processed, nutritionally-void foods. My weakness? Sugary cereals. Flo, a Mexican restaurant in West Town, fulfills all your nostalgic cravings with its cereal-encrusted French toast, with the most popular (and, let’s be real, aesthetically pleasing) being the Fruity Pebbles French toast. The bright colors from the cereal and mixed berries will make for the perfect Instagram photo, almost capturing how exquisite this French toast is. Well, almost.
7. Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe: Red Velvet French Toast
4 locations throughout the Chicagoland area.
I know, I know: pancakes are in the name of this restaurant, but Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe has some bomb French toast, too. With eight different French toast flavors on the menu, you’ll be tempted to try them all, but the one you have to order first is the red velvet French toast. The Swiss roll shape it’s served in ensures that you get a bite of the cream cheese filling every single time, which will make you feel like you’re having cake at 10 am. Not that I’m complaining or anything.
8. Over Easy Café: Weekly Special French Toast
Location: 4943 N. Damen Ave., Chicago.
You know what’s better than house specialty French toast flavors? Unique, rotating flavors. Over Easy Café might be known for its spiked banana French toast (think: if bananas fosters and French toast had a baby, and she was dressed up with pastry cream and candied pecans), but what makes this breakfast place worth the long lines is its weekly French toast specials. I’m talking about creations you can’t find anywhere else in Chicago, like tiramisu and strawberry basil French toast. Stop by this Ravenswood favorite to experience breakfast with a twist.
9. Yolk: Cinnamon Roll French Toast
7 locations throughout the Chicagoland area.
Contrary to what the name suggests, there is more to Yolk than just egg dishes. The laundry list of French toast, pancake, and crepe items proves just that. Perhaps the most exciting out of all is the cinnamon roll French toast, wherein a thick cinnamon roll is cut into three slices and dipped in Yolk’s secret French toast batter. Grilled to golden perfection, topped with cream cheese frosting, and served with maple syrup, this creation will have you saying, “Cinnabon, WHO?”
10. Bongo Room: Chocolate Tower French Toast
3 locations throughout the Chicagoland area.
For a more upscale brunch spot, head over to the Bongo Room, which is known for its seasonal breakfast and lunch cuisine. French toast flavors vary depending on the time of year, but right now the featured dish is the Chocolate Tower: a behemoth of bittersweet chocolate bread, stuffed with mascarpone, banana creme brûlée sauce, and finished with banana slices and chocolate shavings. You’ll be chocolate wasted after consuming this beautiful, chaotic mess.
11. Little Goat Diner: Bull’s Eye French Toast
Location: 820 W. Randolph St., Chicago.
Crashing from all the sugar? Time to switch things up a bit with a savory French toast dish. Little Goat Diner is a more casual, affordable offshoot of its parent restaurant, the infamous, award-winning Girl & the Goat. You won’t be feeling any intimidation during your dining experience here, since the restaurant has a whimsical, playful atmosphere, which can be seen in its zany creations. For example, the Bull’s Eye French Toast mixes classic French toast flavors like maple syrup and brioche with savory notes like BBQ, sweet onion, and crispy chicken to offset the oftentimes cloying sweetness and experiment with different flavor profiles.
12. Kanela Breakfast Club: Baked French Toast
6 locations throughout the Chicagoland area.
Any Chicago foodie will confirm that Kanela is one of the hottest, trendiest, and tastiest breakfast spots in the city. With a motto of “Healthy. Happy. Hungry.“, this Greek-American fusion restaurant boasts a menu full of locally-sourced, organic ingredients. Crowd favorites include the Crab Cake Benedict, Chia Seed Pudding, and of course Baked French Toast. Kanela’s French toast is topped with a cinnamon crumble to add a great textural component. Douse it with syrup and you’ve got the perfect blend of flaky and soft bread.
13. Whisk: Snickers Stuffed French Toast
Location: 2018 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago.
A house favorite, the Snickers Stuffed French Toast proves that it’s never too early for dessert. An entire Snickers bar (one of the best, cheap American chocolates IMO) is stuffed between two slices of Texas toast and served with a side of white chocolate sauce. Come by Whisk for brunch between 7 am-5 pm, and return after 5 pm for Whisk Burger, when the restaurant transforms into a high-end burger joint. You can thank me later for helping you find your new, favorite restaurant.
14. M. Henry Cafe: Lemon Raspberry Brioche French Toast
Location: 5707 N Clark St., Chicago.
Named one of the essential Chicago brunch spots by Eater, you might have high expectations for M. Henry. Well, I am here to tell you that they will be exceeded once you try out the Lemon Raspberry Brioche French Toast. Fresh lemon curd and raspberry coulis are slathered across three slices of brioche, making for a sweet yet tart forkful. Order this to split with your table so you can try other items like the vegan tofu scramble or gluten-free pesto eggs benedict… or just keep it for yourself. It’s so good you might not want to share.
15. Batter & Berries: French Toast Flight
Location: 2748 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago.
Sometimes, having an abundance of options is stressful. You’re worried about getting the wrong thing on the menu and missing out on something better. That’s why I’ve saved Batter & Berries for last. The French Toast Flight is comprised of all French toast flavors on the menu—strawberry, blueberry, lemon, and caramel—meaning that not only will you get to experience what the restaurant has to offer, but you will avoid FOMO too.
So, go ahead. Go on a brisk walk, take the El, or book your ticket to fly to the Windy City. It’s all worth it to get a taste of the best French toast in Chicago.